The Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC) has announced a second phase of its debt relief program, granting a 50 percent waiver on water arrears and a 25 percent waiver on sewer bills. The initiative, however, comes with a firm restriction that customers who benefited from the previous waiver earlier this year will not be eligible again.
Speaking on the OKFM’s Morning Rush on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, Deputy Managing Director for Sales and Marketing at LWSC, Janice L. Bropleh, made the disclosure during the program. She said the decision followed a review of the first waiver period, which ran from March 24 to June 24, 2025, and targeted customers with arrears accumulated from the time of their connection to December 2023.
According to her, the trial program yielded encouraging results, with improved revenue intake and a notable increase in the number of customers settling old debts, “This is an opportunity for customers to clear longstanding arrears and have a fresh start,” she said. She stated that, under the extended arrangement, which runs from July 10, 2025, to January 10, 2026, eligible customers will pay only half of their outstanding water bill arrears, after which LWSC will credit the remaining balance, for sewer arrears from the same period, customers will receive a 25 percent discount.
Bropleh emphasized that the program will not apply to individuals or institutions who have already received a waiver in the earlier phase, “We can’t keep giving waivers, once our system shows you have benefited, you cannot benefit again,” she warned. She explained that the Corporation has a verification system capable of tracking beneficiaries, preventing duplicate benefits and ensuring fairness, “Especially now, with internal reviews in place, we will know if you have already taken advantage of the program,” she added.
“The waiver scheme is also aimed at addressing the recurring challenge of property-linked arrears, which often sparks disputes between LWSC and customers, under Liberian law, arrears remain attached to the property rather than the individual, meaning new tenants or owners inherit any unpaid bills from previous occupants,” she maintained. “Say, for example, a business moves into a building in 2024 and finds old arrears on that property by law, those arrears are tied to the property, not the person,” Madam Bropleh explained, “Many customers object, saying they just moved in and shouldn’t have to pay this is one of the reasons we brought the waiver proposal to the board to give some relief in such cases,” she said.
She noted that during the first waiver period, many customers who had avoided payment for years came forward to regularize their accounts, some owed for both water and sewer services, while others had only water-related debts the results, she said, showed that temporary relief could motivate compliance.
“We saw progress in collections and customer engagement, the intake was good, but we realized the initial three-month period was short that is why we went back to the board to request a second phase,” she explained. “This time, in addition to the water bill discount, the Corporation has added the sewer bill waiver, which management believes will further encourage payment from customers with combined service arrears,” she maintained.
The LWSC Board of Directors, after reviewing management’s proposal and the performance of the earlier phase, approved the extension with the new conditions, “We are taking a balanced approach providing relief where possible, but also ensuring discipline in payment,” Bropleh added.
She however encouraged customers to visit LWSC offices to verify their eligibility, settle their portion of the arrears, and have the waiver applied to their accounts before the January 10, 2026, deadline, she cautioned that there will be no further extensions beyond the announced date.
The Corporation is also appealing to the public to develop a culture of timely payment for water and sewer services, noting that regular revenue is essential to maintaining infrastructure and expanding access to safe water across the country.